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C. 'I'. BROWN. LOCK 1100K.

ylatented May 28, 1889.

C NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES T. BROWTN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FLORA L. BROWN, OFSAME PLACE.

LO C K -v H O O K SPECIFICATION forming' part 0f Letters Patent NO.404,161, dated May 28, 1889.

Application filed February 8, 1838. Renewed March 18, 188th Serial No.303,823. (Model.)

T LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. BROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Hook-Catchesot which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to an automatic locking device adapted to catchand retain a hook Io upon the stud or post which it detachably engages,the catch and hook together constituting what may be termed an automaticlockhook.

The locking device consists of two disks ro- I5 tatively mounted on apostor stud, each disk having a lug or ear thereon, the one earyieldingly held opposite the other by a spring which is placed betweenthe disks. In closing the hook upon the stud one ear is carried 2oforward by engagement with the heel of the hook, and the other ear iscarried by the spring to a position back of the hook as soon as thelatter is closed upon the stud7 thus locking the hook against accidentaldetachment.

2 5 In the construction illustrated in the accompanyin g drawings,showin g a practicable form of my invention, this spring is retained inannular grooves in the disks.

The hook entering into the device performs 3o the same work in the sameway as an ordinary hook; but it is slightly changed in forln on thatpart thereof which may be termed the heel, and which, in the engaging ofthe hook upon its stud, actuates the locking device.

3 5 Figure l is a plan view of the hook and of the locking deviceforming the catchwhich retains the hook upon its stud. Fig. 2 is across-section of the hook and of the locking device on line 2 2 of Fig.l. Fig. 3 is a plan 4o view of the lower plate or disk forming a part ofthe locking device and of the base to which the hook is pivoted. Fig. 4is a plan view of the under sideof the upper disk forming a part of thelocking device and of the under side of the pivoted end of the hook.

Like parts are designated by like letters of reference throughout theseveral views.

X is the base on which are mounted the disks constituting the lockingdevice for the 5o hook.

X is the base to which the hook is pivoted.

A is the hook, and a is t-he post on which it is pivoted.

e is the curved end of the hook. e is the heel, and a" is the bottom ofthe notch of the hook.

B is the lower disk of the locking device, having a central opening bywhich it is rotatively mounted on the post C.

B is the upper disk of the locking device, 6o having a central openingby which it also is mounted on the post C. The post C is rigidly securedin the base X, and has a head which retains the disks thereon. This postC forms the stud which the hook engages. 65

Z) is the lug or ear on the disk B, and b is the lug or ear on the diskB.

b is a hub on the disk B extending upward to the head of the post C.This hub b is not, however, a necessary feature inthe 7o disk, as thepost C from the head thereof to the upper face of the disk may be ofabout the diameter of the hub b, and the shoulder thereby formed on thepost will serve to maintain the disks in proper position.

D is the spring placed bet-Ween the two disks in the annular coincidentgrooves E E.

In the annular groove E there is placed the stop e, having, as shown, anopening or way through it, and in the groove E there is a 8o stop, c,adapted to pass through the opening in stop e when the disks are mountedin place on the post C. lVhen the stop e is in the opening in stop e,the ears b b are opposite each other, and the spring D will then pressS5 against each side of stops c e. In 'engaging the hook with its studor post C the heel a of the hook comes in contact with one or the otherof the ears b b. In Fig. l the hook is illustrated in full lines, withthe heel thereof 9o in contact with the ear b. By forcing the hook downupon its stud the ear b and the' disk B, of which the ear is an integralpart, rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow thereon and intothe position indicated by the dotted ear 5 between the point and theheel of the hook. The ear b is prevented from rotating in unison withthe ear b by the rounded end c of the hook until the bottom of the notcha" is nearly o r quite in contact Ioo with the stud, and when the hookis thus in engagement with the stud the spring D, compressed by theturning of the disk l-, turns the disk 3 into a posit-ion back of thehookbow, as illustrated by the dotted ear lettered 11". The ear 71,standing between the point a of the hook and the heel a thereof, is heldfirmly in its position by such point and heel, and the opposite ear isyieldingly held by the force of the spring l) in position back of thebow of the hook, where it forms a lock, holding the hook on its stud.

The hook A may be mounted on a pivot in the ordinary way; but in thesmaller sizes of the structure embodying the invention I prefer to mountit upon the pivot e, and to pro- Vvide a spring, D', engaging withthehook and willi the base or pivot, so that. when the hook is notlocked upon its stud the spring D will retract it and hold. itretracted.

In Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings an annu lar groove, az, in the baseat', suitable for inelosng a spring, is illustrated with a stop, m",therein. The spring I) is placed in the groove .11. lVhen the stop A isagainst stop w", the hook A is at right angles to theposition itoccupies when engaged with its stud (l, and the tendency of the spring Dto rctain it in this position. lVhen the hook is brought forward andengaged on its stud, the spring is compressed, and has a tendency toretract the hook from the stud, whereon it is held by the lockingdevice.

'.lo release the hook from engagement with the stud the disk 3 is turnedaround by the hand until the ear l1 thereon is at the side of the curvedend a of the hook and in its original position, whereupon the hook willbe retracted by the spring l). The retraction of the hook may be aidedby the tendency of disk l; to rotate into position with the ear Z)omjiosite the ear l1.

In the device when constructed as described the disks turn freely onpost (l when the hook is not engaged with such post, and hence eitherear may be rotated by the heel a of the hook coming in Contact therewithas the hook is pressed into engagement with the stud. \Vhen the heel ot'thehook rotates b and disk l', the stop e passes out from the opening orway in stop e at the other side from which it passes out of su ehopening when the ear b is rotated by the hook, as last described, andcompresses the spring I) from the other end thereof.

If the stop e be placed out of line with the opening in stop e, it ofcourse cannot pass through such slot, and in such case the heel a of thehook will necessarily act-nate one only of the ears l) 1). I prefer,when the stop e is so placed, that' the ear h on the under disk, l,shall be that one which will pass around the head ol' the hook to thebackv thereof, and the ear b will then be the one actuated by the heeln, of the hook. The stop X" is then provided onv the base X to preventcomplete rotation of the lockingdisks.

I also prefer at times to place the disks B .5 with the ears l) l1directed toward the base, so that the ears shall be between the disksand the base. The hook A in that case engages its stud between thelocking-disks and the base X. -r1`he construction of the two disks soplaced may be identical with that hereinbefore described. lVhen thelockingdisks are thus placed on the post C, it will be preferable toplace the retracting-spring D (if employed) outside, and to put astationary cap over the pivoted end of the hook, said cap having thereinthe groove m to receive the spring. In either of the two ways describedof placing the locking-disks upon the post or stud C, when the stop e islocated out of line with the opening in stop e, a spiral spring havingcoils ol' larger diameter than the one illustrated in Fig. 2 and of thesame diameter as the ring formed by the annular grooves E E around thepost e, may be used, being so placed in the grooves that one ond thereofis engaged with stop c and the other end with stop e.

I do not wish to be restricted to the particulardetails above set forth,inasmuch as various changes can obviously be madewithout departing fromthe 1 )rineiple of the invention; but as a special construction thearrangement of the disks with their ears directed inwardly toward thebase forms the subject of another application for Letters Patent, SerialNo. 023,651, Afiled of even date herewith.

IIaVin g thus described my invention, whatI claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

l. A locking device for a hook, consisting of a post, two disksrotatively mounted on the post, an ear on each of the disks extendinginto the plane of the hook, and a spring engaging the disks andyieldingly holding the ears substantially opposite each other,substantially as described.

2. A locking device for a hook, consisting of a post, two disksrotatively mounted on the post, an ear on each of the disks extend inginto the plane of the hook, and a spring engaging the disks andyieldingly holding the ears substantially opposite each other, incombination with a pivoted hook and a spring arranged to retract thehook. from the post when released from the locking device, substantially as described.

(ffl [ARLES '.l. BROWN.

FLoim L. lnowN, Maui-ner. l). Tun).

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